Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype02:27

Background and Environment Affect Phenotype

Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
Incomplete Dominance01:43

Incomplete Dominance

Gregor Mendel's work (1822 - 1884) was primarily focused on pea plants. Through his initial experiments, he determined that every gene in a diploid cell has two variants called alleles inherited from each parent. He suggested that amongst these two alleles, one allele is dominant in character and the other recessive. The combination of alleles determines the phenotype of a gene in an organism.
Multiple Allele Traits01:49

Multiple Allele Traits

The Concept of Multiple Allelism
Epistasis Analysis01:09

Epistasis Analysis

Although Mendel chose seven unrelated traits in peas to study gene segregation, most traits involve multiple gene interactions that create a spectrum of phenotypes. When the interaction of various genes or alleles at different locations influences a phenotype, this is called epistasis. Epistasis often involves one gene masking or interfering with the expression of another (antagonistic epistasis). Epistasis often occurs when different genes are part of the same biochemical pathway. The...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Quantitative digital course-based undergraduate research experience in plant biology.

Journal of microbiology & biology education·2026
Same author

Above and belowground phenotypic response to exogenous auxin across <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> mutants and natural accessions varies from seedling to reproductive maturity.

PeerJ·2024
Same author

Phenology and thallus size in a non-native population of Gracilaria vermiculophylla.

Journal of phycology·2023
Same author

Virtually the Same? Evaluating the Effectiveness of Remote Undergraduate Research Experiences.

CBE life sciences education·2023
Same author

"How Do We Do This at a Distance?!" A Descriptive Study of Remote Undergraduate Research Programs during COVID-19.

CBE life sciences education·2022
Same author

Contrasting gene-level signatures of selection with reproductive fitness.

Molecular ecology·2021
Same journal

Antimalarial activity of Sargassum fluitans and Sargassum natans stranded along the Caribbean coast of Panama.

Integrative and comparative biology·2026
Same journal

Structural Equation Modelling Reveals How Allometry Shapes Integration in Avian Cranial Evolution.

Integrative and comparative biology·2026
Same journal

Sexed Politics, Histories, and Futures.

Integrative and comparative biology·2026
Same journal

The role of sex in structuring aggression, rank, and hierarchy in monk parakeets.

Integrative and comparative biology·2026
Same journal

Modeling Probiotic-Associated Growth Dynamics in Juvenile Red Drum.

Integrative and comparative biology·2026
Same journal

Sharing stress, shifting strategies: Social context during stress shifts collective thermoregulation behaviors in honeybees.

Integrative and comparative biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Phenotypic Profiling of Human Stem Cell-Derived Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons
09:21

Phenotypic Profiling of Human Stem Cell-Derived Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons

Published on: July 7, 2023

The integrated phenotype.

Courtney J Murren1

  • 1Department of Biology, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424, USA. murrenc@cofc.edu

Integrative and Comparative Biology
|May 18, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Phenotypic integration, the coordinated development of traits, is crucial for organism function and evolution. Understanding its genetic and developmental underpinnings reveals how complex traits evolve across environments.

More Related Videos

In Vivo Modeling of the Morbid Human Genome using Danio rerio
12:31

In Vivo Modeling of the Morbid Human Genome using Danio rerio

Published on: August 24, 2013

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
09:40

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins

Published on: June 11, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 22, 2026

Phenotypic Profiling of Human Stem Cell-Derived Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons
09:21

Phenotypic Profiling of Human Stem Cell-Derived Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons

Published on: July 7, 2023

In Vivo Modeling of the Morbid Human Genome using Danio rerio
12:31

In Vivo Modeling of the Morbid Human Genome using Danio rerio

Published on: August 24, 2013

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
09:40

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins

Published on: June 11, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Complex phenotypes require coordinated trait functioning for organismal viability.
  • Phenotypic integration describes relationships among traits and their modules.
  • Understanding these relationships is key to evolutionary developmental plasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the history and concept of phenotypic integration.
  • To highlight advances in understanding the developmental and genomic basis of integration.
  • To explore novel approaches for studying phenotypic integration in evolutionary diversification.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of phenotypic integration.
  • Empirical case-study approach.
  • Discussion of genomic and epigenetic perturbation methods.

Main Results:

  • Phenotypic integration is a fundamental concept in evolutionary and developmental biology.
  • Recent advances clarify the developmental and genomic basis of trait integration.
  • Genomic and epigenetic studies offer new avenues for research.

Conclusions:

  • Phenotypic integration plays a vital role in the evolution of complex characters.
  • Future research should focus on genomic and developmental changes in trait relationships across environments.
  • Studying phenotypic integration is essential for understanding evolutionary diversification.